Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Sugar Free Detox Food

I posted this photo of chili cheese fries on facebook and asked if anyone could guess what I made the "fries" with... they're not potatoes! Take and guess and then find out below...

I've finished a week of my sugar free cleanse and am smoothly moving into my second week. The past seven days went by so fast - there are many more tasty things I want to make but have been having fun getting more creative with my savory meals.

Here are the meals and snacks I've eaten in the past week.

Every morning I eat the egg meal for breakfast, and the protein shake is always my second meal (I also eat these 2 meals when I'm not on this sugar detox). From there my meals vary according to what I feel like, but I eat every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I get hungry so much faster when I go without sugar because my metabolism raises like crazy.

- Handful raw nuts (I keep a little baggie of these in my purse if I'm out and need something quickly).

- Veggies with sprouted almond butter.

- Chili cheese "fries" (using chili the next day).

An old example of my breaky eggs from this post. 2 eggs and kale cooked in coconut oil, with my homemade sauerkraut, tomato, and raw parmesan cheese. So good!

Some of the other things I'm doing:

- Chilled pau d'arco tea for my protein shakes. This is very cleansing for the liver so I thought it was a perfect time to use it on a regular basis. Outside of the sugar cleanse I like to make chilled reishi and chaga tea for my shakes.

- Regular skin brushing. This is something I don't do enough on a regular basis but have been making a point of doing every day in the past week before showering.

- Drink a big mug of hot water upon waking. No matter where I am in the world, I find a way to drink a big mug of hot water when I wake up. It helps to flush things out and get hydrated before eating breakfast. Sometimes I add lemon.

- Yoga. This is a huge part of my life and my mind and body requires yoga every day. It's especially helpful during a cleanse as the postures and breathing are naturally designed to detox the body and balance all areas of oneself. Twisting postures are particularly great.

- Sleep. I've been trying to go to bed earlier this past week. Some days it happens, other days it doesn't but overall I'm trying to wind down and at least get into bed earlier to read before sleeping.

In my first post I listed all the things I'm eating. Here's a list of what I'm NOT eating:

- Sweet fruit
- Sweeteners
- Grains
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Cacao

Last weekend I had a twinge of wanting some wine at our friend's dinner party. Everyone else was enjoying drinks and normally I would be too. Solution? I drank sparkling water with fresh lime and a few drops of stevia in a wine glass. It's actually a drink I enjoy on hot summer days and it was totally satisfying the other night.

That brings me to another point. What if you're on a detox plan and you're going to a friend's for dinner? Simply explain what you're doing and tell them that you need to bring your own food. That's what I did and my friend understood completely, in fact she's seen me go through all my past sugar cleanses so she wasn't really surprised. Everyone enjoyed the gluten free lasagna she made while I brought the chili and salad I made. I also offered to bring an appetizer that I knew I could eat. I brought a platter of veggies, steamed broccoli, and the seed crackers I made, along with an edamame avocado dip.

Onto the chili cheese fries that you saw at the top of the post. The fries are made from cauliflower stems! It's a great way to use a whole cauliflower - the florets got used in my soup. The chili cheese fries idea comes from The Art of Healthy Eating.

Chili Cheese Fries

I topped the cauliflower fries with made my own moose meat chili recipe and melted some raw cheese on top (she uses a cheese sauce in the book). I never measure any ingredients when making chili. The great thing is that you can add a little of this and that. The tomato base and seasons are what "make it". This can easily be turned into a vegan recipe. Use a veggie chili and top with vegan cheese or cheddar sauce.

Cut the cauliflower stems into sticks.
Toss with olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Bake at 375F for about 12 minutes. Flip and cook about 5 more minutes, or until soft and browned.Here's an old pic of my chili where I also added beans and kale. This time I didn't add either but that's what I mean about adding whatever you want.

Chili

I find chili to be such a nurturing winter food. It's filling and warming. With a big batch you can freeze some and enjoy the rest for several meals. I like it topped with a big spoonful of plain yogurt and green onions along with a few seed crackers on the side. Turn it into a whole new meal by making the chili fries!

Cook the meat in a large pot. Don't overcook as you'll be simmering it later. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat the butter in the same pot, and fry the onion until translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook for a few minutes.
Add the remaining veggies, including the garlic and spices (add lots of chili powder, less cumin, and only a little chili flakes if you don't like much heat).
Stir for a few minutes making sure all veggies are lightly coated in the butter or oil.
Add the diced tomatoes (depending on how tomatoey or thick/thin you like it) and tomato paste. Stir.
Add the meat back in along with the beans (if using).
Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least an hour, or until veggies are cooked through. The longer it simmers the better it will taste. I like to simmer mine for a few hours on low or let it sit in the crock pot for a few hours.

This was such a yummy dinner! I hope you'll try it too. I promise that you won't miss the potatoes and that cauliflower will become your new best friend.

HI, I think I should email you :) I eat a lot of the foods you list actually (but I also eat hummus, dark chocolate, stevia, etc ...fruit...i eat TOO much and don't really exercise. Not sure how to "cleanse" or "detox" really). I suspect a dairy and egg overload and I think I've developed a sensitivity due to chronic excess consumption. Can't seem to mentally stop eating it though...love them and addicted to them (specially eggs). I know I need to (at least for a month or so and then gradually add back in)..No willpower. Maybe I should email ya :)

Protein powder recommendation? I like whey but worried about the "dairy" aspect. What do you use? A concentrate or pure isolate blend? I have so so many digestive and constipation issues that Im not sure what to go with. I was considering http://www.iherb.com/PlantFusion-Nature-s-Most-Complete-Plant-Protein-Vanilla-Bean-2-lb-908-g/28950 . Although really I'd like to get a whey...but curious about the vegan one..might help me out, not sure. (I do have a whey concentrate/isolate blend now I might try making some "protein cakes' with :)How much meat/fish do you eat per meal and per day? I can't get hormone free or antibiotic free stuff where I live .. :( Hope you respond to this soon . Great blog :)

I use Kaizen Naturals vanilla whey protein powder that's sweetened with stevia. I love it and it works well for me. Sounds to me like you might do well consulting someone who can help you with your diet as I'm not qualified. It helped me to work with a homeopathic doctor to get me on track when i transistioned from a vegan diet to eating animal products again, along with supplements, etc :)

About Me

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Heather and I'm a classically trained chef and yoga instructor in Victoria, BC Canada with a passion for making healthy food, especially raw vegan desserts. I'm a travel bug, love wine, and have a mega sweet tooth!
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